Stick-balancing game



Nov. 28, 1961 J. ELLMAN 3,010,721

STICK-BALANCING GAME Filed Feb. 25, 1958 1 ti. INVENTOR. H5 2 JULIUS ELLMAN.

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,010,721 STICK-BALANCING GAME ulius Ellman, 1672 E. 7th St, Brooklyn 30, N.Y. Filed Feb. 25, 1358, Ser. No. 717,435 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-96) This invention relates to amusement devices and, more particularly, to a balancing game of skill.

Ordinarily, only professional iugglers and balancers can balance two round dowel-like sticks upon each other for any length of time. An amateur juggler attempting this feat would encounter difiiculty in preventing the free stick from either slipping or twisting off of the other stick which is held in the hand. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a similar game of skill which prevents any twisting movement between such sticks so as to greatly reduce the difficulty of accomplishing this feat and thus enable children and adults alike to practice this skill.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a balancing game of skill of the above type in which selfcontained guide means limit the relative movements between the members so as to make it possible to accomplish this feat after sufficient practice to provide an amusing and entertaining assembly for this kind of practice without frustrating the player.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a balancing game which will enable an amateur juggler to enjoy a skillful balancing game, accomplishment of which will provide a feeling of security of balance and will enable the player to later attempt even more difficult tasks.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game of the type described which may be played according to different rules of varying degrees of difiiculty, and which is provided with a specially built-in practice section which will effectively provide suflicient practice for attempting some of the more difiicult maneuvers of the game.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a game made in accordance with the present invention in operative use.

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of one of the members forming a part of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top elevational view of the member shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of another member forming a part of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing the parts arranged for a different maneuver.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged transverse cross-sectional view taken along line 77 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, a game of skill 10 made in accordance with the present invention is shown in an operative position for one of the several maneuvers which the game afiords. This assembly 10 includes a balancing control stick 12 and a balancing rod 23. The control stick 12 has a handle portion 14 at one end with a main runway portion 15 intermediate its ends. The runway preferably includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart longitudinally extending ribs 17 that define longitudinal circumferentially spaced apart grooves 18 therebetween. The balancing rod 23 has a centrally located spindle 22 which is of preferably cylindrical shape having a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart annular ribs 20 defining longitudinally spaced apart annular grooves 21 therebetween. The outer ends of the balancing rod 23 are provided with weights 25 which help to maintain the rod in balance during use.

This game is played by placing the balancing rod upon the balancing stick in the manner shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing, whereupon attaining suflicient skill, the balancing rod 23 may be guided for reciprocating rolling movement upon the runway15 by tilting the control stick 12 relative to a horizontal plane. The balancing stick 12 may also be rotated about its longitudinal axis to effect a rolling movement thereof along the balancing rod. By combining these movements, it is possible to balance the balancing rod during the aforementioned reciprocating movements, which is one of the objects of the game. If desired, each player may count the number of times which the balancing rod 23 can be reciprocated in either or both of these directions. An entertaining game is provided by allowing the balancing rod to run from one end of the runway to the other and counting the number of times this can be accomplished without having the rod drop off. Actually, by counterrotating or rolling the stick, the rod can be maintained in balance for an inde finite period of time, the rod being able to leave the runway section only by rotating ofi of it since the possibility of it leaving by a twisting movement is eliminated by the meshing engagement of the respective ribs and grooves.

The end of the runway 15 closest to the handle '14 is provided with a special training section 27 that is defined by a pair of longitudinally spaced apart collars 28. Each of these collars 28 is provided with a facing concave annular face 29 which will enable the player to practice the simple act of balancing the rod with respect to the relative rolling movement of the balancing stick 12 along the rod 23 without permitting the rod 23 to roll along the length of the runway. This provides a very simple feat to accomplish in order to introduce the players and younger children to this game.

The outermost end of the balancing stick 12 opposite from the handle 14 is provided with a head 31 that has a plurality of spaced parallel ribs 32 which extend substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the stick, and which define spaced parallel grooves 33 therebetween. By supporting the parts in the position shown in FIG. 6 of the drawing, a more difiicult game is provided wherein the ribsand grooves of the balancing rod spindle 22 and the ribs and grooves of the head 31 are in meshing engagement, the attempt being made to rotate the stick and rod with one hand without having the rod roll off of the head. By tilting the balancing stick 12 relative to a vertical axis, as shown in phantom lines in the drawing, it is possible to keep the parts in the balanced position for an indefinite period of time.

The relationship of the ribs and grooves of the rod and stick determines the amount of skill required to keep the rod in balance. With deeper and tighter ribs and grooves, the game becomes easier to manipulate since the grooves can, theoretically, be made so deep that the rod will remain relatively fixed. By using wider and shallower grooves and correspondingly wider and smaller ribs, the skill required to balance the parts will be increased. The particular relationship between the grooves and ribs can thus be made to provide a game of the desired skill without making it too difiicult to frustrate the prospective players.

Various rules can be made for playing this game and each of the respective runway, training section, and balancing head can form various stages or steps of a single reverse of this game, namely, flipping the rod'from the said balancing head and means for guiding said balancing runway onto the head, is another, but more dilficult, rod for reciprocating rolling movement along said balvariation ancing head, said guiding means comprising a plurality While the parts have been shown to be 01 simple, of spaced IlbS extending transversely ac oss said balancstrazght and circular configuration it will be reco nrzed 5 ing head substantially perpendicular to the longituclina that other arcuate and angular shapes can be provided to axis of the stick and defining grooves therebetween, and either increase or decrease the amount of skill required a plurality of spaced arcuate ribs defining grooves thereto play the game and to provide other variations in the between. encircling'said balancing rod midway between playing rules. the ends thereoflsaid ribs of said head and of said rod While this invention has been described with particular 10 being in meshing engagement with each other. reference to the construction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such is not to be construed as imer n s Cit in he file of his patent I gartzlinbg ligiitaltions upondthiehinvention, which is best de- UNITED TA T N S ne 1 yt e c aim appen e ereto. a V i Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as 15 52 i new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 2321371 Du g g I 943 A balancing game of skill comprising in combination a 2453693 Ar jzgf 1948 control stick having a balancing head at one end substan- 6 411 g i e t 1956 tially normal to the longitudinal axis of said stick, a bal- 5 5 I 1959 ancing rod, means for positioning said balancing rod upon 20 r m y 

